Why has Ron Paul raised so much more money than Kucinich?

[skipos]

Everyone knows that the Dem candidates are raising WAY more money that the Repub candidates overall.
We can all see that MSM pays a lot of attention to some candidates and ignores others. Paul and Kucinich seem to be equally ignored.

There are a lot of small donors to all the candidates, there are millions of people in the US who can afford to donate at least a little bit, anyone with an internet connection could easily get more information about Kucinich so... what's the deal? In the 3rd quarter Paul raised about $5,000,000 while Kucinich raised about one tenth that.

Just so you know, Kucinich isn't one of my top picks for 08, but I still agree with him on many things.

[Virginia Dare]

1. I think the repubs are much more disillusioned than the Democrats..

I know you wouldn't know it by reading DU, but I think that is probably what's behind it.

[Lilith Velkor]

2. Because Ron Paul appeals to rich RW douchebags

:think:

[tuckessee]

9. The average Ron Paul donation is forty dollars.

:research:

[Hydra]

3. I actually have a bizarre answer for you

There are a large number of libertarians that hate the dems as much as they hate the Bushes. Blame Alex Jones for that insight.

These people usually don't vote or donate if they don't have a candidate they like, so he's tapped into an unused resource.

Personally, I'm in DK's court right now, but Paul has some good points- Immediate withdrawal and closure of bases around the world. I've heard that called isolationist, but I don't see how we're making the world better by playing big brother.

Regardless, many of that group are seriously out there.

[ccpup]

4. perhaps Ron Paul

has offices on-the-ground in the early Primary States and that's helping his fundraising numbers? It's just a guess because I really don't know.

[napi21]

5. Because quite a few Dems & Indis sent Paul some $$.

Go back to the DU archives and look. He even had supporters HERE! The problem is, R. Paul is right on Iraq, but if you look a little deeper into his other positions, you'll see he's a real looney tune! Very few, if any of Paul supporters are looking past his rant during the debates on Iraq.

[ShaneGR]

6. It's really not hard to raise more money than Kucinich?

I mean, 1 million for an entire quarter isn't exactly impressive in this day and age. Which is why he really doesn't have a viable campaign structure in Iowa.

[porphyrian]

7. Why does the amount of money raised matter at all?

We're told over and over that a candidate has to raise a whole lot of money to get elected, but is that really the truth? Do you vote for a candidate based on how much money they raise? Does anyone? Fundraisers are seldom attended by anyone other than the rich and the press any more, with maybe the exception of the organization whose building they use for it. The corporate media's message has already been bought and paid for, so you're not going to buy favor with them at this point. And if that's the only place the majority of voters get their information, why should any Democrat other than Senator Clinton and maybe Senator Obama bother?

Just like weddings, campaigns have turned into a monstrous overpriced pocket-stuffing industry, and we're being lied to about its necessity to secure the profits of all those involved.

[Rhythm and Blue]

8. Because the Republicans are disillusioned,

and Ron Paul is the only Republican who isn't tainted by the war or Bush's expansion of the government. Plus, he's still a dyed-in-the-wool, fuck-the-poor type.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

10. Because legions of insecure young white males are donating to him? n/t

[hedgehog]

11. I supported Kucinich in 2004, but this time around I'm supporting someone

whom I think has a good shot at the nomination. Sometimes half a loaf is better than none.

[saltpoint]

12. I feel one component is that Dennis Kucinich's supporters are not as

motivated by greed as Paul's supporters, who may tend to be libertarian Republicans who fancy themselves a "independent" from the Republican Party establishment.

That is to say, they are libertarians because they oppose "government spending" and "taxes" and generally consider themselves quite the hip little independents in supporting someone as "outrageous" as Ron Paul.

Kucinich supporters, in my experience, lean very strongly toward 'we' and not 'me' and are driven by community uplift rather than personal tax write-off.

Kucinich v. Paul, to me is personal warmth versus personal wealth.